California custom ice cream sandwich shop roars into downtown Austin

California custom ice cream sandwich shop roars into downtown Austin

Even with cold brew on tap and a backpack full of energy bars, sometimes downtown workers need a little more to help them make it through the day. As fellow high-rise dwellers, let us at CultureMap give you a productivity tip: take an afternoon break to eat an ice cream sandwich.

And now, thanks to cult California franchise The Baked Bear, you’ll be able to get custom ice cream treats on the fly.

As first reported by Community Impact, the San Diego-based chain is tentatively set to open its first store in Texas on May 12 at 211 Walter Seaholm Dr. No. 150, just around the corner from Trader Joe’s.

Just in time for hot weather, the shop allows you to build your own sandwich with a base of cookies, brownies, and doughnuts, more than 13 flavors of ice cream, and a variety of toppings for an extra flavor punch. And no, the tops and bottoms of your creation don’t have to match.

Start with classics like oatmeal, chocolate chip, and snickerdoodle or newfangled treats like funfetti cake, red velvet, or macadamia nut before squeezing in a huge scoop of ice cream in varieties like cheesecake, cookie dough, Rocky Road, and salted caramel.

There’s also something called Bear Batter. We don’t know what exactly it is, but we plan to order it first because it is just fun to say.

If your finished sandwich seems just a little bit basic, don’t worry. You can make it extra by rolling it in toppings including Fruity Pebbles, brownie bits, mini chocolate chips, Heath Bars, rainbow sprinkles, or Oreo crumbs or slather it in Nutella, whipped cream, or hot fudge. The add-ons come with the price of the sandwich, so use those saved bucks on a manicure before inevitably posting on Instagram.

Once your masterpiece is built, you can have it warmed up in a hot press. Get ready to eat that sucker up quick.

In addition to its signature sweets, The Baked Bear offers a menu of frozen treats including hot fudge sundaes and root beer floats. Or you can order cookies, brownies, or ice creams au naturel.

The franchise has a knack for picking sunny climes for its locations. It is already operating all over California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. According to the company website, the next Texas shop is set to open in scorching El Paso.